Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Not of This World
"My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
—John 18:36
So often the world misconstrues what Christians say. It draws erroneous conclusions because it never takes the time to really listen carefully to the gospel message. Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).
The early Christians were insulted and criticized for what they were doing and were even accused of treason. It was suggested they were actually advocating the overthrow of Caesar, which really was not the case. It was a complete misunderstanding of what the objectives of the Christians really were. Anyone who would give even a careful listen to what they were saying would realize these Christians were not seeking to establish an earthly kingdom. They were not seeking to overthrow Caesar or Rome.
Yet it is worth nothing that the first-century Christians made no attempts to conquer paganism by reacting blow by blow. Instead, they outthought, outprayed, and outlived the unbelievers. Their weapons were positive, not negative. They prayed, preached, and proclaimed the message of the gospel.
As a result, these Christians dramatically impacted their world. In the end, they prevailed. In retrospect, where is Rome today? It is no longer a world power. Do we remember the names of the great emperors of Rome? For the most part, no.
There have been numerous attempts throughout history to destroy the Christian faith. But they will always fail for one simple reason: Christianity is Christ. He will prevail in the end and establish His kingdom. And because we are with Him, we will win in the end too.
Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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